Sunday, March 27, 2016

Talking Up Trump, And The Media's Regrets --Madeleine Norton, 4th period

So far it seems that more than any other issue in the media, Trump's candidacy for president has taken over the interest of reporters (especially those on the side of a more liberal, Democratic POTUS). However, where newscasters and journalists thought they were covering a character that could in no way be taken seriously, they now realize the made grave mistakes in focusing on Trump's campaign--he has grown into a large, very real contender to be our future head of a governmental power.
CNN author Brian Stelter writes how "David Brooks recently wrote that media elites "'did not listen carefully enough.' And Time magazine editor Nancy Gibbs told me on today's program: 'I think seldom have so many people been so wrong so consistently about so much.'" Further, he adds, "Panelists on the program attributed the 'disconnect' to four main factors: An over-reliance on establishment Beltway sources; predictive, data-driven journalism; a failure to report the views of average American voters; and an 'Acela corridor bias.'" He then compiled comments of various viewers from email/Twitter, which I find necessary to add below here for better understanding (as from Stelter):


"I don't think that it's that the press got anything wrong about Trump. It's what you got wrong about the American people."
—Jenni Dinger via Twitter
"The clubby, larded media machine just couldn't see their toes around their stomachs... At first, Trump was a joke, a flash in the pan. Pundits predicted he would disappear. Then, he became a loutish jerk chewing the scenery. Trump supporters were dismissed. No one took the time to understand what they were saying."
—Monica Collins via email
"We need a more decentralized media apparatus that includes journalists from major publications based outside-the-Beltway with a national, not regional, focus."
—Pete Seat via email
"He scares me to death, but I get him because I am frightened over my future. He strikes a nerve that most journalists do not understand."
—Deborah Troop via email
"The MSM missed the attraction of Trump because they are part of the Democrat propaganda machine. They're insulated in their Liberal NYC Towers and have no clue what the regular folk out in the country feel."
—Jeff Badura via Facebook
"What seemed to happen here is that journalists immediately laughed off the idea of a Trump candidacy (much less presidency) because that's what their environment confirmed. And I don't mean 'those elitist east-coast journalists.' I mean that the type of Republicans journalists regularly encounter weren't Trump supporters. The reference group was overly establishment."
—Dylan McLemore
"Trump speaks to us in a straightforward way. We are tired of being lied to."
—Gayle Rashidi via Facebook
"In the movie 'Spotlight,' experienced editors and journalists missed the story for years out of deference to a mighty institution, the Catholic Church. I see a similarity here -- the real Trump story was missed because 'the media' in general is too focused on ratings and not on the real responsibilities of journalism -- to investigate and hold accountable."
—Roberta Russell via email
"Why was Trump not taken seriously? It is simple: Who, in their right mind, would have imagined such a vulgar, self-absorbed individual who repeats everything twice, flaunts their own abuse of the system, and is so filled with hate could become the leader of this great country?"
—Betty McEnaney via email
"I think so many commentators and columnists missed the relevance of his campaign because of their own arrogance... I only wish I had stock in hand lotion for all of the hand-wringing that is going on."
--Claire via email

This can be synthesized with the "silent minority" that ended up helping President Nixon win the vote (as is stated in his 1969 speech, referring to the Middle Americans who were not as involved as the vocal minority ((in this case being the more liberal and Democratic side))) and Calvin Coolidge's election in 1920.

Article link can be found here:  http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/27/media/trump-disconnect-viewer-email/index.html

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